Memoirs of a Traitor
by hiddenflame268
Summary: The tale of a kunoichi and the life she leads as a shinobi of the Leaf Village. Never has her journey been easy, but then again life was never meant to be easy. It is the trials and tribulations of living that make her the person she is, and it's the people along the way that help her get through to the end. Because as some would say, it's not about the end but about the climb.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys...yes...it's been quite some time since I've updated on anything ^_^; If you look at my homepage you'll see what I'm still working on and what I'll be doing for now.

I'm doing this Kakashi story because it's a MUCH older story of mine. I had it for a different website and always promised myself that I would edit it and then post it here. After years (and I mean YEARS) I've finally got around to doing it! Going back to my roots of writing with the series that started it for me! I haven't written much since the last time I've been on, but editing this story has reawakened my drive to write and hopefully I'll be able to get to some other stuff I've been meaning to do as well!

Just as a heads up, this will be following the series itself with a few tweeks and twists of my own; it won't be _exactly_ the same since there will be some added characters. As for the title, if anyone's curious you'll just have to wait and find out what it means XD And most importantly, I hope you guys like it!

* * *

_The Memoirs of a Traitor_

**Chapter One: The Day it Begins!**

It was a quiet morning in Konoha. There were few that began stirring at this time, rising as the sun rose over the horizon. Although most mornings were rather quiet and still, that specific day was a very special day to aspiring warriors and protectors of the village; it was graduation day from the academy. Kids awoke early in order to prepare themselves for the new day and the new stage of their lives, people bustling around and about.

A lone woman slowly began to sit up from her bed as a yawn emitted from her lips. She stretched and sighed as the muscles in her body began to breathe, the light from the window at her bedside acting as her alarm clock. She sat in the still of the morning, letting her mind catch up with her body. A small smile danced across her lips as she nodded to herself. "Well then, lets get going. Today's going to be a long day."

Standing to her feet, the apartment owner stretched once more. Her untamed, brink pink hair cascaded down her back, covering her plain, white tang top. She didn't bother switching the light on as her feet pattered against her bamboo floors; the sun provided enough light for her to navigate around.

As she walked into her bathroom, the woman immediately turned the knob to her bathtub, letting the shower run. She began peeling her clothes off piece-by-piece, not caring where she scattered them about. It didn't really matter to her, for she would get to cleaning up eventually. As she dropped the last piece of her nightwear, the pink haired woman stepped into the shower, her nimble body relaxing under the showerhead. Her smile widened as a sigh resonated in the silence.

"Nothing like a shower to wake you up."

Once she had finished washing up, the young woman quickly stepped out of the shower tub, wrapping a white towel around her figure. She stood at the counter and leaned forward, wiping the steam from her mirror. She stared at her reflection for a moment before she quirked one eyebrow up.

Although she was only 24 years old, she was beginning to look haggard; perhaps it was from all the long missions she had been taking on lately. Her hair was a darker shade of pink color, and she had a pale complexion—something like that wouldn't normally bother her, but she burned easily in the sun. Her pale green eyes were full of life, though she was sure she was beginning to see a bit of crow's feet at the ends of her eyes. Her heart-shaped face fit perfectly on her lean body, although there was always the issue with her forehead; she'd blame her mother for that trait.

Glancing down at her arms, the 24 year old flexed as she shook her head, unimpressed. "I need to start working out more." She was beginning to look too small for her liking.

Having finished examining herself in the mirror, the lone housemate walked into her bedroom and began changing into her clothes, dropping her towel and walking freely in her room. She pulled open her dresser and pulled out a long-sleeved cheongsam. She pulled the zipper down and slipped the dress on, the slits on the sides of the outfit giving her legs plenty of room to move about. She then pulled on a pair of white, spandex shorts before slipping her standard ninja sandals on. She let out a deep breath and smiled to herself as she walked over to her desk, picking up her leaf village forehead protector. She wrapped it around her forehead and began maneuvering her hair about so that the strap of the protector would keep her hair up and out of her face. With a prepared nod, the woman pulled on all of her necessary gear before slipping on the standard jounin vest, leaving it unzipped.

"Ready." And with that, she exited her home.

Immediately, when the young woman began walking down the streets of the Leaf Village, friendly faces appeared, smiles and waves aimed in her direction. She merely waved and nodded in return with a relaxed expression across her face, the villagers greeting her; she knew many people in the village. There was only a single voice that had caught her attention that morning; there was only one person that mattered in the crowd of people.

"Good morning, Himitsu." Said kunoichi stopped in her tracks as she smirked to herself and looked over her shoulder.

"Well, morning to you too, Kakashi." Himitsu could recognize his voice no matter what the circumstances were.

Himitsu Haruno, eldest daughter of Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake, son of the White Fang, had been rather close since she was 12 and he had been 14 almost 15. Although their friendship had started off rather horribly, the pair had grown close over the years. Every little habit that they hated—every quirk about the person that had bothered them had ended up turning into comforting tick. After all, they had been through so much together; it was inevitable that a friendship would bloom from their disdain for each other.

Himitsu watched as her friend approached her with a little orange book in hand. He didn't bother looking up as he walked past her, assuming that she would walk alongside him; she always did. "Ready for today?"

"Depends."

"On what?" the pink haired ninja asked curiously.

"On whether or not these brats pass or fail." Kakashi was rather picky with who he saw fit to go on as ninja. Himitsu held respect for him though; he only passed those who were ready and those who deserved the title of shinobi.

The pair walked in a comfortable silence, Himitsu enjoying the brisk, morning air, and Kakashi enjoying the pages of his book. The man's companion stole a quick glance at him before she spoke up. "You know, some day you'll meet a woman you'll want to marry, and she'll probably forbid you to ever read that book again." Because every woman Kakashi had ever met had been rather disturbed and/or disgusted by his favorite past time.

The man merely shrugged as he flipped the page, his one eye skimming through the words swiftly. There was only one second where his eye wandered from the page and landed on the female ninja, watching her for a moment longer than necessary; she hadn't seemed to notice. "If she truly loves me, she'll understand the bond I share with this series," the silver haired ninja said lightheartedly. Himitsu chuckled before she shook her head, the pair stopping in front of the Hokage building. They exchanged knowing glances before they walked in sync with one another.

And once Kakashi was inside, he had stuffed the book safely into his pocket.

* * *

"Each jounin will be leading a three-man squad and give them another test of their own to see if they are truly capable of calling themselves genin." Himitsu listened as the Third Hokage of the village explained what the role of a jounin was to the future genin candidates. From what she understood, each jounin was given a team number, and three students from the academy were to be randomly assigned to them. As far as Himitsu was concerned, as long as she had students that were competent, she would be pleased. Other jounin were not as _compliant_ as she was; the last thing they wanted to do was waste their time teaching children how to be adults in the nin-world.

"Himitsu, you shall be leader of Team 6." Said jounin nodded her head obediently as she gave a small smile to the Hokage, who flashed a quick smile back to her before moving on to the man beside her, Kakashi being assigned leader of Team 7. The list continued for a couple of more minutes before the leader of the village finally motioned for his disciples to come forward.

"Come. Gather around. Take a look at Konoha's future." Without question, all the adults began to collect around the older man's desk, the crystal orb sitting before them reminding many of someone who was preparing to read them their future. Suddenly, a blurred image of the academy classroom appeared in the ball, awing a few of the jounin in the room; the hokage was capable of many things.

"One of the most promising new student, Sasuke Uchiha, is that him?" Asuma Sarutobi asked the Hokage curiously. The man looked up and nodded his head as he turned his attention back to the survivor of the last clan.

"Yes, he's the one."

"He's the only survivor left of his clan." Himitsu held her tongue as she quietly cleared her throat. _I mean, he isn't the __**only **__survivor of his clan. _But talking about Itachi was a rather risky thing to do.

"Hm, well would you look at that" Kakashi mumbled, catching Himitsu's attention. She followed the man's gaze as her eyes softened, a small smile crawling upon her face. "So it seems you and your younger sibling take after your mother quite a bit." Himitsu shrugged as she stared at Sakura, the young girl gawking at her childhood crush. The elder sister to Sakura smiled sheepishly as Kakashi chuckled quietly.

"I don't remember girls my age ever being so obsessed about boys…" Then again, times during Himitsu's youth had been different. It was a much more peaceful time for the people of Konoha nowadays. So in the back of Himitsu's mind, she was rather happy that the biggest issue in Sakura's life was whether or not a boy reciprocated her feelings.

And who was she kidding? She loved gossiping about men and crushes.

As Himitsu stared into the orb, she watched as two students walked into the classroom. They stayed side-by-side with each other, glancing around the room and whispering to themselves before they stopped in front of a lone boy in the front row of the room. The pink haired kunoichi watched them closely as she smiled to herself; they seemed close with each other.

"The Ryo twins." The 24 year old blinked as she looked over to her right, her companion nodding at the pair she had been watching. "Two of the most capable students in that class. Although I heard the boy seems to cause more trouble in the academy."

"And the other boy?" she asked quietly as Kakashi slid his hands into his pant pockets.

"Koji something or another. I don't believe he's originally from here," Kakashi explained in a low voice as Himitsu nodded her head. Her eyes lingered on the three for a second longer as she watched the two boys of the three snap at each other before she turned her attention back to the other students in the room.

"Hmm...Naruto Uzumaki, eh?" Himitsu didn't bother breaking Kakashi from his thoughts as she watched him evaluate the blond. She gazed at him carefully for a moment as her stare softened. _The nine-tailed fox. _She wasn't surprised her best friend had taken an interest in the boy; he was special.

The jounin watched quietly as Iruka-sensei walked into his classroom, quieting down the students after a scene with Himitsu's younger sister and the wielder of the nine-tailed fox had been displayed; the older Haruno had been rather surprised at just how much strength her younger sister had. The adults in the room watched through the globe as Iruka explained the procedure to the students.

It was time for jounin and future genin to find out their teams.

Himitsu said nothing and nearly dozed off as she awaited for her team to be announced. If it hadn't been for her friend, she would have fallen asleep right through the announcement of her team. "Team 6 will be Ichi Ryo, Hana Ryo, and Koji Shindou." Himitsu smirked to herself as she nodded, pleased with the selection. She watched as the three teammates glanced at each other, obviously relieved that they had been placed on the same team. _Putting these three to the test should be interesting, _Himitsu thought as the Hokage moved on to the next team.

Kakashi's team.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Stealing a glance at the 26 year old, Himitsu nearly laughed at the rather satisfied gleam in Kakashi's eye. "Sakura Haruno,." Both friends turned to look at each other, rather surprised by that outcome. "And Sasuke Uchiha." No one would admit it, but most—if not all the jounin had been envious of Kakashi; it wasn't every day one could say that they had the chance to train an Uchiha. Himitsu herself was rather jealous of her friend, for they were not only companions, but rivals in a way, and the fact that Kakashi had the opportunity instead of her irked her.

"You will meet with your teams after lunch and introduce yourselves," the Third Hokage stated as everyone nodded in return. "Well then, you're all dismissed. Have fun with your new teams." And without another word, everyone exited the room.

* * *

Kakashi and Himitsu walked side-by-side in silence, one looking for a place to eat and the other sticking his face nose deep into a book. The man's companion frowned as she looked over at him and narrowed her eyes. A playful smirk danced across her lips before she reached over and snatched the book from the man's grasp.

"Huh?" Kakashi blinked as he looked up, Himitsu flipping through one of his most prized possessions. He gave her an amused stare as she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Do I have to compete for your attention everyday with this thing?"

"It's not a competition," Kakashi began casually. "The book is the obvious winner." Himitsu's eyes twitched from irritation as she turned her head to glare at her friend.

"You're really hopeless, aren't you?" she snapped, though there was little bite to her words. "You should be so lucky that I'm your friend!"

"Should I?"

"Yes! I'm the only one that can really put up with your crap," she stated evenly as she stuck her nose in the air before tossing the book back at the man. He caught it with ease as he chuckled at the way his friend pouted.

"Then I suppose I am lucky to have you then." A smile could not be fought back after that as the Haruno looked over at her friend, the former ANBU smiling through his one visible eye.

"…Damn right you are!" And after everything they had been through, there was no reason for Himitsu to tell Kakashi just how much he meant to her; he already knew.

"So then. Who's paying for lunch today?" Kakashi inquired, putting his book away for his _own_ sake.

"I paid last time so it's your turn!" the younger of the two stated with an innocent expression on her face.

"Alright then, lets go." Kakashi said; he had seen through her lie, but there was no point in fighting her.

Himitsu smiled as she nodded, their shoulders brushing but neither bothering to step away and give the other space.

* * *

"Yum! That was good Kakashi. Thanks!"

"No problem. You paid last time," he said, though the sparkle in his eyes showed he knew better than that. Himitsu released a short and hearty laugh before she pushed the empty bowl away from herself. She stood to her feet and stretched, Kakashi watching her for a second before he set the needed cash for the meal on the counter and stood to his own feet.

"Well, I better get going. Unlike _someone, _I'd rather not keep my team waiting." The shots Himitsu mad at her friend were always out of love.

Kakashi shrugged as he began heading off towards the only place Himitsu knew he would go. "It's important to keep people on their toes."

Himitsu shook her head as she watched the man walk away. She stared at him for a moment longer before she spoke up, catching his attention. He stopped in his tracks as he looked back at her with a curious look. He watched his friend for a moment before she gave him a pleading smile. "Just be patient with, Sakura." Kakashi's gaze softened as he stared at his friend for a second longer before turning back around and walking off.

"I won't guarantee you anything…but I'm sure she'll do just fine." Although Kakashi's words were merely said to comfort her, Himitsu appreciated the man's effort. She knew of his track record with genin tests, and although she was worried, she also trusted him. She knew he would make the right decision in the end.

With a sigh, Himitsu straightened up and nodded to herself as she began making her way to the academy. She smiled to herself as she locked her hands behind her back. Her thoughts jumped from her sister, to her mother, then to her students, and then she thought of Kakashi for a mere second before she began thinking of her mother once more. It wasn't long until she stopped in front of the classroom door where her future awaited her. She stood silently and stared at the shut door as she began to muster the strength to open the door and walk in.

_Time to face your future, Himitsu._

And as she opened the door and began to walk inside, she never realized just how true that thought had been. For the moment she had stepped into the classroom and had caught sight of her team was the moment her fate and life had been set.

Her cards had been dealt, and now it was time to play them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Team 6!**

It had been nearing a half-hour since many of the students had disappeared with their team leaders. The only students left in the room had been Team 6 and Team 7. Even Iruka had departed and had left for the day; knowing Kakashi himself, the sensei knew that his three students would be waiting for quite some time.

The tension in the room had been high. Although everyone in the room knew each other, none of them had really interacted on a personal level. They had shared the same classroom and nothing more—save for the few students in the room that _tried_ to get to know others.

"Does he _always_ snore when he sleeps?" A pair of dark blue eyes blinked as they looked back at the annoyed boy sitting beside a snoozing one.

"Koji, don't act like you're clueless."

Koji Shindou was a remarkable young boy, but there weren't many who knew that about him. Having only lived in Konoha since he was six, the lone boy had trouble making friends. He was rather shy on his own, so having moved to a knew village with no one but his grandmother to help him was troublesome, to say the least. It wasn't that the young boy didn't _want_ to make friends—it was just the fact that it _looked _like he was less than friendly.

His natural expression was cold-looking to those who didn't know him. His dark eyes passed along the wrong message to people who passed him by; it was like he was constantly staring others down. Still, he was a handsome young boy, and his grandmother would always brag about how he would grow up into a good-looking man. She would reassure him that one day, those who judged him unfairly would regret their actions, for he would turn into a fine young man. His dark, straight hair was just long enough to cover a bit of his forehead, but short enough to stay out of his face—though his new genin head protector helped as well. The young boy was always sure to make sure he could see, or else he'd be no good as a ninja. He was on the taller side, and he had a toned figure—which was due to all of the training he endured. His grandmother would also say it was genetic; his father had been a rather fit man in his youth.

Koji glared at the sleeping boy beside him as he shook his head. "He's _your _brother. Do something!" The female of the group rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked back at him with an annoyed stare.

"If I could have, I would have already!" she snapped back as she stared at her companion; he sported a plain white, short-sleeved top that zipped up to the top of his chest, the collar popped up. His hands were stuffed into his khaki shorts, his left leg stretched out underneath his desk and his right planted right on the floor. "You know as well as I do that there's no waking this idiot up." Ichi Ryo smiled to himself as he dreamt of his days as a ninja. He had thought it was reality, but he'd soon be rudely awakened and realize that it was nothing but a dream—a fantasy he could only live through in his sleep.

Ichi's black hair sat in a messy heap on his head, though when the sun shined on it, it almost had a purplish hue to it. His amethyst eyes were shut, but one could see them twitch behind his eye lids as he dreamt. As he slept, his head rested on his arms—which were acting as his make-shift pillow. A chill rolled down his spine as a breeze brushed through the open window of the classroom and through his sleeve-less, black top. He snorted, which caught his teammates off guard, before he relaxed and continued to sleep on.

Koji sighed as he glanced from the younger Ryo twin to the older one.

Hana was an average girl when she was compared to a few of the girls in her class. She was short and lean—much to her dismay; she was on the weaker side of the scale. On a day-to-day basis, the older twin wore a evergreen tang top and white caprice, and her short, black hair was parted to the left side, her forehead protector holding her bangs out of her face. She had rather fair skin, unlike her brother who could stay in the sun for hours and not burn at all; that was one trait she was jealous of.

"If this sensei doesn't show up, I swear…" Koji muttered to himself as he sighed and shook his head, glancing up at the clock. He stared as the hands of the time moved slowly on their own. He then looked over at the remaining three students before he scoffed.

_What's that jerk staring it? _The clown of the class narrowed his eyes at his classmate as the usually quiet boy looked away and mumbled something to Hana. Naruto watched for a few seconds as the young girl glanced over at him before her eyes roamed over to the teammate he hated the most. He watched as she rolled her eyes and scoffed, whispering something to Koji before he smirked and chuckled to himself.

Well, Naruto could at least appreciate their mutual dislike for Sasuke.

The lone wolf of the passing genins said nothing about the fact he had noticed the pair down the aisle eying him. Other people were really none of his concern, and at this point, all he truly cared about was meeting his sensei and getting this meeting out of the way; he had better things to do than hang around the sad excuses of teammates that he had.

Sasuke's onyx eyes drifted from the desk top for a brief moment as he glanced from the blond to the pink haired female of the team. He quickly averted his gaze, not wanting the girl to get the wrong idea; she was strangely obsessed with him.

Then again, so was almost every other girl in the class.

Sakura sighed as she leaned against the desk in a similar fashion as Hana did. She stared up at the ceiling of the classroom, counting the minutes that went by. There was an awkward silence that lingered in the room, and it was probably because of the fact the only person she even like was Sasuke. A smile fluttered across her thin lips as she mentally squealed; how did she get so lucky as to be on the same team as her _true love_?

Suddenly, all six of the remaining genin looked up at the sound of feet pattering against the wooden floors. They waited impatiently as the person on the other side of the door stopped for a few second, leaving the kids all in a anxious state. It wasn't until the door slid open and a smiling woman appeared through the doorway.

"Himitsu?" Sakura was first to speak up out of the six as everyone glanced at her. A wide smile appeared across her face as the nearly identical woman to the genin smiled at her and walked over. "Are you our sensei?"

"Hey there, Sakura. I'm afraid not," she said with a frown. "But I'm sure you're getting along alright in your team?" the woman asked curiously. She glanced at the genin that would be her team and then turned her attention back to her younger sister.

"It's ok I guess. We've been waiting for awhile though." The younger Haruno frowned at the way her sister stifled a laugh; Himitsu seemed to know something she didn't.

"Oh, I'm sure your sensei will show up sooner or later!" Himitsu stated as she gave her sister a reassuring pat on the top of her head before walking away from the three. Sakura sighed as she watched her sister go, crossing her arms and nearly pouting. _It would have been great to have her as my sensei! _

"Hey, Sakura? Who was that?" Said genin looked over at Naruto, who had asked her the question. She flashed him a smile for the first time that day before she looked back at the woman.

"That's my sister!"

From the looks of it, it seemed that Koji and Hana were relieved to see Himitsu walk past the last team waiting for their sensei. Himitsu tried not to laugh as she imagined what it would be like for Kakashi when he finally arrived; she was sure he'd be in for it.

Clearing her throat, Himitsu stopped in front of her team, two of the three looking up at her. "Hello." She waited for the sleeping genin to awaken, but faltered when he continued to sleep. She forced a smile across her lips as she cleared her throat once more. "Umm, hi there!" Once again, the boy continued to sleep.

"HELLO!" Himitsu smirked as she watched the slumbering boy fall from his chair in a heap of a mess. He blinked a few times as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, Koji rolling his eyes and Hana shaking her head in embarrassment.

"What the—who woke me up?"

"Your new sensei." An innocent smile appeared on Himitsu's face as the three looking up at her, Ichi the most shocked out of the team. Having no patience left, the jounin clapped her hands together and nodded.

"Alright! Lets get going. We're wasting time here. Come on, chop chop!" she snapped. She watched as the three quickly began making their way to the exit. A satisfied smile crawled across her lips before she began following after the kids. She glanced over at her younger sister as she gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Good luck you three!" she called out cheerfully.

"Thanks!" Sakura smiled as Naruto grinned up at her; from what he had seen, it seemed Himitsu was an easy-going person. Sasuke glanced at the woman but didn't bother to reply, which didn't bother Himitsu as she headed out the door.

"Have fun waiting here!" she sang, Sakura exchanging a glance with the blond before blinking.

"…What did she mean by that?"

* * *

Team 6 walked in a stiff silence, though Himitsu wasn't sure if it was only awkward for her or if her genin felt the same way as well. She stopped in the middle of an empty field and turned to face the students, the three stopping and looking up at her with curious gleams in their eyes. "Alright! Intro time!" Ice-breakers had never been Himitsu's strong suit, but she would do her best.

Taking a seat on a larger boulder, the 24 year old nodded to Hana. "Why don't you go first, and then you two boys can go after her," Himitsu suggested as Ichi raised a brow.

"What are we supposed to say?" he asked as he watched his sensei carefully. "The three of us know each other already, but we don't know you," he pointed out, catching Himitsu off guard; he had a point.

"Well...you could say your names. You could also tell me…where you're from…" Thinking more, Himitsu smiled as she nodded. "Tell me what you are confident in when it comes to your training and what you think you need to work on." That was information that would not only help her get to know them, but that would be helpful for training purposes as well.

"Alright then, go ahead!"

"Alright! My name is Hana Ryo. I'm originally from Konoha! And…well, as much as I hate to say, I'm _awful _at tai jutsu, but I'd like to think I'm good with nin jutsu!" Himitsu nodded her head, rather relieved at how easily and well that first introduction had gone. Just from what Hana said and what she personally observed, the jonin had a feeling Hana would be one of her better pupils.

"Alright, you next."

"Alright. The name's Ichi Ryo. Like Hana, I'm from Konoha—duh. What I'm good at and not good at…I'm good at tai jutsu, unlike _some _people," he said, smirking at the jab at his sister as the young girl glared at him. "And what I'm not good at…" a frown suddenly came across the perky boy's face, catching Himitsu off guard. "I'm really bad at controlling my kekkei genkai." Hana's eyes softened as she stared at her brother.

That was something she would never be able to relate to with her brother.

Himitsu watched Ichi intently for a moment before the reels in her mind began to turn. She knew very little about The Ryo bloodline, but from what she remembered, the Ryo Clan had internal issues, and when a solution couldn't be reached, they broke apart. Some members of the clan disappeared to live their own lives, others were killed off by others; the latter was more than likely the major reason for the break in the clan. Now, there was nothing left—no sign of the once respected clan of the village.

Now all that was left were the twins.

The teacher of the team raised a brown as she watched Ichi's expression brighten. The young boy smirked at her, his sudden wave of energy almost contagious. "One more thing, sensei. I love a good rice ball, so if you plan on winning me over you should start there." Himitsu smirked as she nodded.

"Alright then, Last one."

Koji cleared his throat as he looked up at his sensei. He stared into her green eyes, trying not to lose his voice; he hated speaking to others. "…My name's Koji Shindou. I'm not from here. I'm from a different village." Himitsu made sure to take note of that. "If you really want to know what I'm good and bad at, then you'll just have to find out, sensei." The woman blinked as she watched the boy smirk up at her, his sudden confidence confusing her.

"Alright. Great! Now—"

"Wait!" Hana called out, her sensei blinking before slowly nodding her head.

"What is it, Hana?"

"Aren't you going to tell us about yourself?" the young girl asked as Himitsu blinked; she had nearly forgotten about herself.

"Yeah, Hana's got a point," Ichi added as Himitsu smiled and nodded.

"You're right, you're right. To start off, I'm Himitsu Haruno, and I'm going to be your new sensei. For now, since I'm your sensei and I'm a jonin, you will assume that I'm good at everything!" The three students gave their leader a deadpanned stare for a moment. "And like you two, I'm from Konoha!" Having nothing else to reveal, the pink haired jounin stood from her perch on the boulder and clapped her hands together, taking a deep breath.

"Ok! Now that introductions are done, for now you guys are dismissed!"

"Re—Really?" Hana asked in a surprised manner. "That's it?"

"That's right. We're going to meet tomorrow morning!" Himitsu stated. "Training will start at eight am. sharp, so don't be late."

Stars appeared in Ichi's eyes as he grinned. "What kind of training are we talking about?" That was when Himitsu's expression dropped.

"Well…it's not really training."

"What does that mean?" Koji asked with a frown.

"Yeah. I figured since we're genin now we would start missions," Hana explained as her sensei swallowed hard and smiled weakly.

"You will…once you _actually _become genin."

"Oh, well that makes—what?!" The three students gapped as they stared up at their sensei with confusion and shock on their faces. Himitsu smiled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Oh boy."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: News Broken! Not Genin?**

Team 6 stood in a tense silence as the three genin—or rather, the academy students stared up at Himitsu, still having issues with understanding the circumstances to their situation. The jounin cleared her throat as she avoided their gazes, the sky suddenly seeming rather fascinating to her.

"_Well_?" Koji snapped, his patience now extremely thin. His hard gaze met his sensei's as the woman tried to find the best way to describe the situation to the three children.

"…Ok, here's the thing," she began. "Even though you guys are technically 'graduated'…well, how do I say this without breaking your hearts?" the kunoichi asked herself, the three kids staring at her with anxious and annoyed gazes. Taking a deep breath, Himitsu crossed her arms and began. "Even though 30 of you graduated from the academy, in reality, only 12 of you guys are actually going to become genin. Whoever doesn't make the cut will ultimately end up going back to the academy…" Himitsu trailed off and took a moment to evaluate how the genin were doing. Each had their own expression of confusion and frustration on their faces.

"…Oh! And there probably only a…10% chance you guys will actually pass and become real genin." And when she looks back on it, she always wonders if she should have left that little bit out.

Hana stared off into the distance as Ichi crumbled, losing any self-control he had; there was no stopping the waterworks. Koji seemed to be handling the news rather well out of the three, though it was hard to say since he rarely showed any sort of emotion on his face from the time Himitsu had met him.

Taking a subtle step back, the 24 year old smiled bashfully as she locked her hands behind her back. "Well, if you guys don't have any questions, I'll see you tomorrow morning! Don't forget, 8 o'clock sharp! And bring your ninja gear!" And without a second of hesitation, Himitsu had disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The three friends sat in the aftermath of the cruel awakening before Koji stood to his feet. Hana and Ichi watched him carefully before his hands balled up into fists and an almost comical expression of anger came over him.

"What the hell just happened?!"

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Himitsu walked into her home, shutting the door softly behind herself. She immediately made her way to her couch as she took a seat and laid down, stretching and shaking her head. "Well, glad that's over."

"I'm sure it went well," she heard a voice say, causing her to quirk an eyebrow up, Kakashi walking out of her kitchen and setting his half-empty glass of tea on the ottoman in front of the couch. Himitsu narrowed her eyes at him as she watched the man take a seat beside her, his visible eyes glued to the page of his book he was reading. She let her mind catch up to her thoughts before she rolled her eyes.

"I see you haven't even seen your kids yet." The jounin shrugged as he turned the page in his book.

"Not just yet, I'm a very busy person," he stated, dog-earring his page ad putting it back into his pouch where it belonged.

"So then, how are they?" the shinobi asked as Himitsu sighed, holding her head in her hand.

"They seem to be alright. I'm not sure how they'll work together though. From what I've seen, they all seem to bicker a bit and the sound is very similar to nails on a chalkboard," she explained. "But who knows. Only time will tell." Leaning her head against her companion's shoulder, Himitsu sighed and closed her eyes. The pair sat in a comfortable silence, Kakashi letting his friend rest against him for a few minutes.

"I should get going," the silver haired ninja finally said as Himitsu nodded, sitting up and letting the man stand to his feet. "I'll be sure to let you know how it all goes," he assured before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"See you," the young woman mumbled as she closed her eyes, letting the darkness consume her and her mind wander.

After what felt like only a few minutes, the lone jounin woke up and found two hours had gone by.

"Hmm…maybe Sakura's finally home," she said to herself before standing up. "Lets go see." Talking to herself was going to be a habit she would never be able to kick.

After the 10 minute walk, Himitsu approached a stairway. She began to climb it step-by-step, reaching the top and then stopping at the door that led to her former home. Grabbing a hold of the golden door knob, Himitsu twisted and pushed; her mother never really locked the door.

"Sakura? You home?" the older Haruno shouted out, slipping her shoes off. She raised a brow at the sound of angry footsteps echoing from down the hallway to her left. An entertained smile spread across Himitsu's lips as she watched her younger sister stomp up to her, a fire blazing in her eyes.

"You know you might fall through the floor if you stomp like that."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT KAKASHI-SENSEI WOULDN'T BE THERE FOR ANOTHER HOUR-AND-A-HALF?!" Sakura screeched. The 12 year old glared at the way her sister giggled, as if she were enjoying her pain.

"Oh, you know you can't stay mad at me," the dark-haired Haruno stated as she walked past Sakura and into the sitting room. Sakura sighed at that as she stuck her bottom lip out, pouting.

"Yeah yeah, fine. But seriously, I didn't know you and Kakashi-sensei knew each other. A little warning about all of this stuff would have been nice," she said as she tapped her foot against the wooden floor, arms crossed over her chest.

"Come on. It's not like you would have been doing something important in that time Kakashi was late. And anyways, does it honestly matter if I'm friends with Kakashi?" the 24 year old stated defensively as she took a seat on the floor in front of the small table, a kettle of tea already waiting for her.

"…Did he say anything about me?" She couldn't keep herself from asking.

"He just said that I remind him of you," Sakura didn't miss the way Himitsu smiled at that as she poured herself a glass of tea.

"So, how did it go anyways?" the older of the two sisters asked as she sipped on her tea, Sakura finally taking a seat across from her.

"It was bad. Did you know that only 12 students can actually become—" the young girl stopped herself there; of course Himitsu knew. "Why didn't you tell me?" Sakura asked with a frown as the woman across from her sighed.

"It wouldn't have been fair if I told you ahead of all the other students. You're my sister and you know I love you, but I have a job to do," Himitsu stated evenly as her little sister begrudgingly nodded. "Plus, this was really all for the best. This is good experience for you—even if you might not become a genin," she also said.

"I hope I become a genin or else Sasuke will leave and go on without me, and I'll be left behind!" Sakura exclaimed as she continued to profess her love for her crush to her sister. The older Haruno smiled weakly as she merely nodded, having not much to say about the Uchiha boy. _I don't think I mentally prepared myself for all of this when I decided to visit home,_ Himitsu said to herself as she finished her cup of tea and then began making her way back to the door of her home.

"Is mom home?" she asked curiously as Sakura shook her head.

"No. She's out getting some groceries for dinner. Are you going to stay?" the future-genin asked hopefully.

Himitsu and Sakura had been close growing up. Although they were nearly 12 years apart, Sakura had always looked up to her older sister. Himitsu had been her pillar in her toughest times, and although there were blotches of time during her past where her older sister had been missing or gone, she still loved her very much—which was the exact reason why her moving out and living on her own had been somewhat difficult for Sakura to deal with.

"Sorry, I have to go. But I'll come back tomorrow to see how everything goes, ok?" Himitsu forced a smile across her lips as she watched her younger sister try and hide her disappointment.

"Okay then. Wish me good luck!" Sakura called out, trying to sound as happy as she could. Himitsu nodded as she knelt down and be at eye-level with the girl.

"Don't worry. This week I'll treat for some dinner and we can talk all you want! I promise." Holding her pinky finger out, the jounin smiled at her little sister, the young girl smiling widely and nodding her head.

"Okay!"

"Now get some sleep…and don't bother going too early…you might not have the patience for him tomorrow!" And with that last warning, Himitsu disappeared down the steps.

* * *

The walk back to her apartment had been a peaceful one as Himitsu stared up at the stars in the sky. She walked sluggishly up the steps to her floor, finally stopping on the fourth floor and unlocking the first door to her right. Without any thought, the exhausted jounin slipped her shoes off and cracked her neck.

"Well, I see you've finally decided to come back." Already aware of the extra presence in her home, Himitsu glanced over at her couch as she placed her hands on her hips.

"How did you get in this time, Kashi?" the woman asked as she jutted her hip out slightly to the right.

"You should really hide your spare key somewhere other than under your welcome mat outside," Kakashi answered as he looked up from his novel, his eye curving downward and indicating that he was smiling underneath the mask he always used to cover his face.

"Hah, touché. It's an obvious place but I don't think anyone here will try to come into my home," Himitsu pointed out as she plopped down beside her friend.

"You never know. And since I know you won't do it yourself, I put the key up at the top of the doorframe." A smile appeared on Himitsu's slightly chapped lips as she closed her eyes and nodded, leaning her head back against the back of her couch.

"Thanks."

After a few minutes of silence, Himitsu finally stood to her feet, catching Kakashi's attention. The man watched with curiosity as his friend smiled down at him.

"Hungry?"

"…Why not."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Moment of Truth!**

The morning had come all too quickly for Himitsu as the squawking of a bird awoke her from her dreams. Her green eyes fluttered open as she did her best to stay awake, her live alarm clock continuously screeching. Finally, the pink haired woman stood to her feet, walking over to the rather large bird cage in the corner of her room. She smiled as she stopped and grabbed a scoop of bird food from the bag beside the cage, opening the cage door and pouring it into the bowl. "Good morning, Suzume."

"Good morning, Himitsu-sama," the white bird replied back before hopping down from its perch and digging into her breakfast. The jounin nodded as she stretched, squeaking as she did so. Releasing a deep breath, the bird owner strolled into her bathroom, preparing for the new day.

Pulling on a similar outfit as the day before, Himitsu nodded to herself as she latched her kunai pack to her thigh, packing her shuriken into her pouch at her waist. She slipped on her sandals and then pulled on the dark green vest that most—if not, all jounin wore. She left the vest unzipped, feeling more comfortable and less suffocated with it hanging open. Then, as she headed out the door, she grabbed her forehead protector and tied it around her forehead, her hair tucked up into a messy bun.

She was perfectly on time. It would only take a few minutes to get to the assignment meeting spot. Himitsu smirked to herself as the thought of her best friend appeared in her mind; at least she wouldn't keep her students waiting. As she approached the training field, her teal eyes softened, Koji leaning against a tree with his eyes closed while Hana sat beside him leaning against his leg; her eyes were shut as well. The last of the three was laid out on the grass with his arm hanging over his eyes in order to block the sun, his snore resounding through the still of the morning.

"Ehem!"

"Huh?" Hana blinked several times as she began to grab her bearings, Koji immediately opening his eyes and looking straight at their sensei. Then, of course, there was Ichi, who hadn't responded at all.

"Oh, Himitsu-sensei. Sorry about my brother. Once he's asleep he stays asleep until he wants to wake up. Unless he's forced to wake up, that is," she explained, defending her brother to the best of her abilities. Himitsu gave Ichi a mischievous smile as she approached the sleeping twin.

"…ICHI!" she screamed, the young boy rolling over and yelping out in shock and fear.

"Huh?! W—What?! I'm up! I'm up!" the less controlled one of the three exclaimed, Himitsu shaking her head; he had a _long _ways to go.

"Relax, moron. It's just Himitsu-sensei," Koji snapped, clearing too tired or fed up with Ichi's antics. He ignored the way his counterpart glared at him and growled.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU LOW LIFE?!" Ichi shouted, causing Hana to slap him in the arm and snap at him. Himitsu watched quietly as Ichi snapped at Koji, who merely shot down the Ryo's remarks with a witty comeback or two. Hana did her best to stop the bickering, but in the end she always fell into the arguing herself.

"Ok, guys?" Himitsu tried, her genins' voices over powering hers. "Guys?" she tried once more, a tad bit louder than the first time. She tried to control her temper, though it was hard for her to do.

Himitsu always had issues with her anger.

"GUYS! LISTEN AND SHUT UP!" the jounin finally yelled, the three stopping in mid-threat and completely still. "Ok...sorry about that," the 24 year old said with an exasperated breath.

"Alright, today's the day you show me whether you're up to the job of being a genin. Can you do it?" Himitsu inquired with a condescending smirk; she was going to push them to the limit.

"Alright then, here's the deal. All you have to do is avoid me until noon. It's like an extreme version of tag! The first person caught is the loser."

"…What do you mean by loser?" Ichi hesitantly asked. Himitsu smirked at the question as she turned her back to the three, her smirk gone.

"The first person to be caught is the one who's going back to the academy." No one said anything after that.

"Anything goes! Just don't get caught."

"Right!"

"You've got three seconds, and then I'm coming for you," she said in an almost menacing way. Ichi shivered as he tried to keep his composure, Hana biting her lip and Koji smirking; he loved a challenge.

"Three…two…one!" Not wasting a second, all three of the students jumped into the air, disappearing from Himitsu's sight. She nodded in approval at their speed as she glanced around, the timer on the clock she had brought running. _At least they're not completely incapable, _she said to herself before she closed her eyes, concentrating on the world around her.

After several seconds, Himitsu's eyes snapped open, her body tingling and her adrenaline coursing through her veins; it had been too long since her last mission. _Here we go!_

* * *

A pair of dainty feet silently made their way through the forest as amethyst eyes darted around the forest walls. The lone figure stayed low, making sure to stay out of anyone's line of vision. It wasn't until the 12 year old had reached a divot in the ground that she felt somewhat relaxed. "Sorry it too me so long. I had to make sure she wasn't on my trail."

"It's ok, Hana," Ichi said to his sister as she nodded.

"So, what's the plance?" the older Ryo asked. The three glanced at each other they took a silent moment to think of something.

"She's going to be a harder opponent to fight against," Koji pointed out quietly.

"Robo-boy has a point," the younger twin said as Koji shot a glare at Hana's brother. The three then fell silent once more as they continued to plot.

The whole point was to stay away from Himitsu, but the issues was the fact that the three knew that it was impossible. Not only was Himitsu older, but she was a jounin, which meant she was fast—much faster than they could ever be right now. So then, if they couldn't out run her, and they couldn't hide for long, what was the plan?

"…Well, this isn't the best plan, but I think I have an idea." The two boys looked over at the one girl of the team with hope in their eyes as Hana smirked. "Here's what we're going to do…"

* * *

Himitsu yawned as she silently made her way towards a small ditch that had been hidden behind the thick of the forest. _Hn, they're not bad. _Kneeling down, the jounin examined the footprints that had been left in the dirt. "They're not completely helpless, I see," the 24 year old said to herself as she smirked.

_They ran off in separate directions and when they knew it was safe, they lowered their chakra levels and regrouped in a well-hidden place._ Himitsu had to admit, she was impressed; she had been expecting the three to flop.

"So this is going to be fun after all," she mumbled as her smirk widened.

Standing to her feet and closing her eyes, Himitsu concentrated on the life around her. She needed to be focused if she was going to find their chakras. After a few minutes, she began quietly walking over to where she had felt Ichi's chakra. She peered around a tree and watched as Ichi searched around the forest floor, as if he were looking for something. Himitsu smirked to herself before she disappeared, reappearing right behind the unsuspecting boy

"Let me teach you something about tai jutus," the jounin said as she kicked the impostor, Ichi "poofing" into a log. Her smirk only grew as her ears twitched, Ichi jumping out from behind her and trying to throw a punch at her. Himitsu had been quick, turning on her heel and grabbing his fist. She threw him over her head, Ichi flying into a tree and hitting the ground. A cloud of dust accumulated around the boy as he coughed and groaned.

"Ugh…ouch," he moaned as Himitsu chuckled to herself.

"Don't underestimate me, short stuff," the leader of the team said with a laugh. As she turned to call off the challenge, she stopped and looked back over her shoulder; Ichi had disappeared. Waiting for a split second, Himitsu raised a brow and glanced around before the young boy jumped out from behind her once more.

"And you don't underestimate me, sensei!"

"I'm not your sensei just yet," the pink haired kunoichi shot back. She turned around to face her opponent but watched slightly puzzled as the young boy stopped and jumped back into the bushes, only to appear behind her once again.

"What?" Himitsu blinked, staring over her shoulder.

"Can't catch me!"

"Can you?" Turning to the left, Himitsu watched as another Ichi stood before her, arms cross and triumphant smirk on his lips.

"Hah! You look so funny right now!" The jounin's eyes widened as she looked to her left to see yet _another _Ichi grinning cheekily at her. _Wh_—_What? This little kid…_ For a moment, Himitsu was unsure, but then she relaxed.

"Nice try, But—" Himitsu suddenly appeared in front of all of the Ichi's. "—Clones won't work on me!" Lifting her leg, the 24 year old shoved the bottom of her foot into the young boy and watched as he flew backwards. Her eyes widened; the clone hadn't disappeared.

"That's not a clone," one of the other Ichi's stated as he leaped forward towards Himitsu, trying to land a solid punch on her. Luckily, she blocked it with ease.

"Alright, lets go!" the other two exclaimed as they joined the fight. The three began to attack Himitsu, and for a short minute, it was nearly difficult for the former ANBU member to keep up with them. She winced as she cursed to herself, irritated that she had underestimated the genin. One of the Ichi copies tried to sneak a kick to her gut, but the older woman quickly caught on, quickly shuffling away from the attack.

"I'll admit it. I'm slightly impressed. But the whole point is to _avoid _me, not—" Himitsu's eyes widened when she winced, a drop of blood rolling down her cheek. She blinked as she squints, the light of the sun glinting off of a thread.

"When—"

"We're not half bad, are we, sensei?" Himitsu watched as she stood motionlessly; if she moved, the piano thread would only succeed in slicing her up. She watched as three Ichi clones disappeared behind a cloud of smoke.

And there, stood Koji and Hana instead of Ichi.

"So, what do you think?" Himitsu slowly looked up and smirked, Ichi sitting on a branch with the end of the piano thread in his hand; it seemed that while Koji and Hana were distracting their opponent, Ichi had taken the time to set the trap for her.

_This is exactly what I get for underestimating them,_ the jounin said to herself as she mentally slapped herself in the forehead. "Good job. So tell me, why this strategy?"

"It was all Hana," Koji said, catching everyone's attention. "She was the mastermind behind it all."

"Koji…"

"He's got a point," Ichi said proudly as he jumped down from the tree and wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders. "If it hadn't been for your plan, me and Koji might've already been caught.

"Pfft, speak for yourself."

"Koji—"

"Hana!" Quickly interrupting the bickering before it could begin, Himitsu spoke. "Tell me why then."

"…There was no possible way we were going to be able to avoid you. You're faster, stronger and know more jutsu than us combined," Hana began explaining. "You were expecting us to run away and panic, because—well—who wouldn't?" she chuckled at that. "I'm just lucky I had these goons to keep my straight." Ichi and Koji smiled at that.

"If we weren't going to be able to run from you, then we needed to attack you head on."

"But we knew you'd still beat us," Koji added as Hana nodded.

"So we came up with a plan. You found us easily, from what we can assume was because you're quick with sensing chakra and have great control of chakra," Hana explained thoroughly. "So we needed to confuse you. We had Ichi release a ton of chakra while we transformed and hid. And once you found him—which was really us, we danced around with you while the real Ichi set up the trap."

"…Why wouldn't you have just waited for someone else to get weeded out?" All three students blinked as they looked at one another, Himitsu watching them curiously. Her expression relaxed as Koji shook his head.

"Either the three of us become genin, or none of us."

"That's right," Hana said in agreement as Ichi grinned.

"Where one goes, the other two follow!" Himitsu smiled as she nodded her head. The three watched as she closed her eyes, surprising them.

"Release!" Himitsu's shadow clone disappeared, shocking the three genin.

"But!"

"I'm impressed." Turning, the three watched as Himitsu appeared from the shadows of the forest, leaning against a tree trunk. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting such a well, thought-out plan from you three. And your teamwork? Well, it's pretty great." The three kids exchanged glances.

"…Does this mean we're caught, sensei?" Hana asked softly. She watched as the older woman stared at her before a wide smile appeared across her face.

"You pass." The three students stared blankly at the woman.

"…What?"

"You all passed!" Himitsu stated with a laugh. "What, are you all deaf?"

"Wait!" Ichi called out. "How the heck did we pass?"

"As your sensei, I get to decide when you're ready to become a real team—real genin," the jounin began. "And you are. You guys showed really great teamwork out there today, and not only that, but you guys are so willing to help each other out and make sacrifices for one another." Himitsu's smile widened.

"It's important to always remember that no matter what the circumstances, your teammates always come first," the kunoichi whispered, catching her three pupils off guard. "Your team members are the people that are going to matter in the end of a mission." And she couldn't stop herself from thinking of Kakashi in that second.

"…You guys seem close, and as teammates that's going to be essential. So stay close…sometimes the right thing isn't always the right thing," the young woman stated, though the three merely stared at her with perplexed stares. "You'll get it when you're older."

The four then stood in a few seconds of silence before Ichi cleared his throat. "…So then, are we finally genin?" he asked, still unsure of what to believe. Koji and Hana waited urgently for Himitsu's answer as the woman stared at the three. Her gaze softened as she smiled wide and nodded her head.

"Yes! You are all officially genin. Congratulations!" Himitsu watched as the three jumped up with glee, Ichi and Hana hugging one another and Koji leaning against a tree and releasing a held breath.

"Who's hungry?" Himitsu asked as she began making her way out of the forest. She glanced over her shoulder and chuckled as all three of the newly assigned genin raised their hands, following after her. _Well, I guess_ _that wasn't so bad after all. _Himitsu looked up to the sky and smiled. _This should be interesting. _Looking back at her new team, she watched as Ichi and Koji began to exchange insults, Hana frowning but letting the pair go at it; there was no stopping it. Himitsu sighed as she relaxed her shoulders sagging and her heart at ease.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello! Just dropping in to say thank you everyone for taking the time to read! I would also like to say thank you for the review ^_^ It was very sweet and I'm glad that there are those who enjoy this story!

Being the airhead that I am, I've been forgetting to do something important, so I'll be doing it from this chapter one. Anyways, I hope you continue to read and enjoy! If you would like, let me know how I can make this story better or what you liked and why so I can make sure to write it all correctly and well.

Anyways, enjoy reading!

Disclaimer:The Naruto series is own by Kishimoto and has nothing to do with me! I'm merely a huge fan and have a wide imagination.

**Chapter Five: The Endless Feud! Team 6 vs. Team 7!**

"ICHI! WILL YOU HURRY UP ALREADY!" Himitsu laughed loudly as she watched her three genin wrestle a horde of cattle in an open field, Ichi trying his best to keep up with his teammates.

It had been a few days since Team 6 had been officially named Team 6. At first, Himitsu wasn't positive as to how exactly things were going to go with the kids, but it seemed they liked her; they hit it off well with her. They spent nearly every day together and Himitsu made sure to buy them lunch and dinner; she couldn't have her kids starving. She wasn't sure when she had grown so attached to the three, but when it happened, it happened. From Hana gossiping with her, to Ichi asking her for help with dealing with Koji, Himitsu did it all. Even Koji seemed to grow less shy around her. His rude demeanor changed and she saw the side of Koji no one really got to enjoy; he was a sweet boy at heart.

Not only that, but the good news of Team 7 becoming genin had passed through the grapevine as well. The moment Himitsu had gone home to visit Sakura, she had been bombarded with the good news; now Sakura would be able to stay by Sasuke's side. Himitsu was proud of her younger sister, to say that least. When she had been a child, she remembered when their mother would lecture her. She hated the fact that she was a ninja in training. Their mother had always had different plans for her. She wanted Himitsu to grow up and get married and have a family. And although those were all things that Himitsu wanted as well, she wanted to have them when she was ready—not when her _mother_ was ready. But these days, it seemed that Himitsu and Sakura's mother was more relaxed about it all. She was proud of Sakura for her accomplishments.

And as long as she didn't hassle Sakura, Himitsu didn't care what her mother said.

The afternoon had gone by quickly as Team 6 walked down the dirt path. The genin were finally finished with their line of missions early, and although they were exhausted, with a promised meal from their sensei the three were energized enough to make their way to the ramen shop.

"I HATE our missions," Ichi snapped as he frowned. "It's like I'm home doing chores again!" he complained as the other three rolled their eyes.

"You don't even _do_ your chores. _I_ do them for you. Remember?" Hana pointed out with an aggravated twitch in her eyes. Himitsu began to laugh as the siblings began to make jabs at each other.

"Calm down, you two. Lets hold off on the fighting until after dinner," Himitsu suggested as the four walked into the shop.

"Well, look who it is." Team 6 stopped as their leader turned her head towards the familiar voice. She smiled, her entire stature shifting and her expression brightening.

"Kakashi." Walking over to her friend, Himitsu pulled a chair up beside him, the man sitting beside her younger sister.

The two had seen each other very little since missions with their genin had started, and since Himitsu and Sakura were on separate teams with separate jobs they nearly never saw each other—save for these few moments they shared.

"Hey, Himi," the silver haired jounin greeted as he watched his usual companion take a seat beside him, her students following suit; the moniker was one only he ever used for her.

"Long time no see, pal." Himitsu smiled as she gained the owners attention and ordered her genins' favorite flavors.

"Hey there, Sakura," Himitsu greeted as her sister smiled happily after her bite.

"Hi, Himitsu!" she replied back as she then turned to the rest of her food and continued to eat.

"Hey Himitsu-sensei!" Naruto yelled, food still in his mouth. He winced as his teammate beside him growled.

"Ew, Naruto! Eat with your mouth _closed_!" she snapped ferociously as he slapped the blond's jaw shut.

"Sorry," he muttered as he frowned, swallowing his food; Sakura was always so hard on him.

"Oh, don't be such a brat, Sakura." Said girl's eyes widened as her anger flared.

"Uh oh…" Himitsu grimaced as Kakashi sighed, pulling out his book and ignoring the upcoming situation that was to occur.

"Ergh…give me a break!" Sakura barked out with a glare; it was always the same when it came to Team 6 and Team 7.

It was only a matter of time before everyone began snapping at one another.

"Well, this should turn out interestingly." the one-eyed shinobi mumbled under his breath. Himitsu rolled her eyes with a sigh, a large bead of sweat rolling down the side of her head.

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Oh, hey, Sakura! You mind if I eat my ramen on your forehead? I mean, there _is_ enough room up there!" Hana snickered as Ichi released a laugh, lifting the bowl to his lips and taking a sip from it.

"Don't be jealous! My forehead may be a little bigger than yours but my brain is too!" Sakura retorted back smoothly. She smirked and continued to eat carelessly as Hana narrowed her eyes at Sakura. She had always had a disdain for the young girl; after all, Sakura always scored higher than Hana at the acadmey.

"Why you—"

"Ah, don't let it get to you, sis," Ichi encouraged as he pulled his wooden chopsticks apart and began to dig into his meal.

"Che, coming from the kid who failed almost every exam?" Eyes widened as Sasuke rolled his eyes at the rather devious genin. Ichi blinked, surprised the boy had spoken at all; it was unlike the Uchiha to participate in these types of situations. Then again, lately, Sasuke was beginning to actually _tolerate_ his two other teammates.

"Oh, what do you know, you goodie two shoes!" Ichi remarked icily as Koji sighed; he was usually the odd man out in these situations.

All the while, Naruto laughed at Sasuke's remark. Although he and Sasuke still didn't quite get along, he had learned to appreciate _some _things about the dark haired boy.

"You're just mad because Koji's always scored higher than you on tests!"

"Hey, don't bring me—" Sasuke scoffed, catching the Shindou's attention.

"I don't need a test to prove I'm better than Shindou." And that had ignited something in the 12 year old.

"Why don't you try saying that to my face, huh, Uchiha? You talk a big game, but you're too scared to even make eye contact with people over there!" Sakura and Naruto blinked, slightly taken a back by the sound of Koji's voice. In the classroom, Koji rarely ever spoke unless called on or unless he was talking to the twins.

And then, the arguing broke out.

"And here I thought I'd be able to actually relax and enjoy dinner," Himitsu whined as Kakashi glanced around, the other patrons of the shop giving the eight of them dirty looks.

"You should have known better than that."

* * *

"I mean, seriously! Who do they think they are?!" Himitsu sighed as she listened her the female of her team rant and rave about Team 7. They had finished dinner earlier in the evening and now the sensei of three was taking her time as she escorted her students home for the night.

"I mean, how can you STAND that team—better yet, how can you stand her as your sister?" Hana snapped, and although in normal circumstances Himitsu would be quick to act against someone who insulted her sister, it seemed that the two had a mutual rage towards the other. What was she to do?

"Well, you know what they say, blood's thicker than water," the jonin stated playfully as the female twin rolled her eyes.

"Even Koji got all riled up because of those idiots," Ichi pointed out as the three turned left at a corner. His eyes burned with a fiery passion as he made the motion as if he were wringing someone's neck. "I can't stand those guys!"

"Alright you two. Why don't you just get some sleep, yeah?" Himitsu motioned for the two to go inside of their small home, the twins nodding their head. She smiled an elderly woman appeared at the door, smiling and waving.

"Be good for your grandmother!" the pink haired woman called out before the pair disappeared behind the door. The jonin sighed as her muscles relaxed, her body suddenly growing extremely tired.

Day-after-day it was the same thing with those kids. Training, missions, arguing and then it was all done over again. As much as Himitsu was beginning to truly like and care for her genin, they were a handful. And when the three were place in the same spot as Team 7—that was when all hell seemed to break loose.

Approaching a bench beneath a blooming tree, Himitsu took a seat and released a breath, frowning at the way exhaustion seemed to creep upon her. She kept her eyes closed as the breeze caressed her cheek, lulling her further and further into sleep. Several minutes passed, the young woman fighting off the urge to lay across the bench and rest for the night, her consciousness going in and out.

"Need a hand?" Blinking, the pink haired kunoichi looked up, her vision slightly blurred but clearing up. A smile spread across her cheeks as a familiar comrade stood in front of her with a hand stretched out to her and the other holding a small orange book.

Taking his hand, Himitsu stood to her feet, dusting herself off. "Thanks."

"Today must have been quite exciting for you," Kakashi began as he shut his book and slid it into the pouch on his hip.

"Well, you know how it is," the female said in return as she stretched but winced; although it had been ages since her last mission, her body was still as tired as ever.

"Truth is, if I have to listen to our teams bicker anymore, I might have to kill someone," the 24 year old stated plainly as she shook her head. Kakashi merely chuckled as he shrugged. Himitsu groaned as she began imagining her future, the thought of the constant yelling and hitting and snapping back and forth making her head pound.

"It's good to know we're on the same page," Kakashi said from beneath his mask, catching his companion's attention. "Even after you and your team left, Sakura and Naruto complained endlessly about your three genin."

"I mean, we've got to do something," Himitsu said exasperatedly. She was patient when it came to strategizing and attacks, but when it came to things like pointless arguing? She was no good.

"Now that you mention it—I have an idea." The two jounin looked at each other, Himitsu's eyes sparkling with hope; Kakashi always came through when he was needed most!

"I'm all ears! What's your plan?" she asked curiously as the jounin smirked beneath the covering of his face.

"So then…"

* * *

Like every other morning, Team 6 had gathered in the meadow just near the gates of the village. The three genin waited patiently for their sensei, no one saying a thing. They kept their thoughts to themselves as Ichi snoozed away, Hana and Koji leaning against one another's back. After a few more minutes, the three looked up, their sensei approaching them with a rather unusual sort of smile across her face.

"Hello team!" Himitsu called out happily. The three glanced at each other before they looked back at their teacher with confusion on their faces.

"Umm…Hi?" Hana was always the first to respond to their team leader, though she was sure to throw Ichi a confused look as she did so. "Why are you so cheerful today?" An irritated face was given to the three genin as Himitsu crossed her arms over her chest.

"What? Can't your sensei have a good morning?" she asked, Ichi rolling his eyes at the statement.

"Yeah, yeah, sensei," he said, huffing and puffing like a child.

"Anyways." The three looked over at Koji as he stared at his sensei and teammates, ready for the day's agenda. "What was it that you wanted to tell us?" he asked curiously, the smile appearing once more across Himitsu's lips.

"Yeah! I'm getting excited just thinking about what you're gonna tell us!" Hana exclaimed as Ichi nodded in agreement.

"Well, you'll just have to wait and see!" Himitsu stated as she began heading toward the Hokage building. "For now, lets go get a mission. Shall we?"

The kids were quiet as they walked behind their sensei. Himitsu had been sure to tell her students that she had something that she wanted to tell them the day before. She hadn't dropped any clues, but from her behavior, something wasn't right. Still, the three didn't bother saying anything to get clues out of the woman; she was far too stubborn and far to sneaky to give away anything.

As the four strolled down the path, Hana raised a brow as she nudged her brother and Koji in the side. The two boys raised a brow and followed their teammate's gaze, their eyes falling upon distant figures ahead of them heading in the same direction.

"Who's that?" Hana mumbled as she squinted her eyes in order to get a better look at the strangers ahead.

"Look who it is." Himitsu smirked as a voice called out to her. She waved as her favorite person approached them; it was Kakashi and his team.

"HEY?! WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE?" Naruto yelled as he pointed accusingly at the three genin.

"We're here for a mission, dumbo," Ichi shot back, Hana laughing at the insult; she always did love a good laugh to start her morning.

"I had no idea you guys would be here!" Himitsu said suspiciously, which didn't go unnoticed by her genin.

"I didn't think I would catch you here either." Kakashi was a _far _better actor than his counterpart.

"Hmph." Sakura scoffed as she crossed her arms, Hana rolling her eyes.

"Well, there's no use in standing around. We might as well go inside." Himitsu led the way as Kakashi shrugged, following after her, leaving the two teams behind to glare at one another before they quickly scurried along.

"Are you sure this is going to really work?" Himitsu whispered to Kakashi as the man glanced back at the six genin.

"Well, if it doesn't, at least we can say we had fun." The female jonin chortled as she sighed. "But knowing these two teams, things should go smoothly." Himitsu asked no more as she slid the door to the missions office open.

"Ah, nice to see you two again," the Hokage said with his usual warm smile; that smile had brought Himitsu out from her darkest moments.

"Well, here is a list of missions for your two teams—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa,! Just wait a minute!" Sakura interrupted as everyone looked at her. "What do you mean, two teams?" And then, it had struck Hana exactly what the Hokage had stated.

The leader of the village glances at the two jounin before he explained. "Well, the missions are needed for six genin. You were the first available teams for the missions." he stated evenly, smiling at the children. Himitsu smirked as the kids began to grumble, not noticing the wink that the Hokage had sent her way; she loved that man.

"I may not like it, but as long as you jokes stay out of the way, then I'm sure we'll be able to hand these missions just fine!" Hana stated with a smirk, Sakura's lips curling into a snarl.

"Oh, please! You three clowns won't get anything done unless we're there to keep you guys on track!" Sakura shot back, Ichi immediately stepping in at his sister's side. Himitsu sighed, the familiar arguing beginning before she shot a glance at her friend. _Kakashi better be right on this one. _

"Well, here are the missions." Lord Hokage watched as he handed a scroll to Kakashi, his eyes lingering on the genin; perhaps Kakashi hadn't exaggerated as much as he originally had thought. But if there was anyone who could deal with a situation such as that, it was Kakashi and Himitsu. The Hokage had seen the two since the beginnings of their friendship; they were perfect for the job at hand.

"Thank you," the six children said as they bowed in respect, their village leader nodding his hand. Sarutobi merely smiled in return as he watched the eight walk out of the room, Iruka-sensei glancing over at him before he chuckled.

"And I thought the genin had it tough."

* * *

"Alright, here's your first mission." Himitsu read the scroll as the six kids sighed in defeat; there was no escaping their inevitable teamwork.

"Each team has to catch a bird that looks like this." Holding a picture up, Kakashi watched as his pupils examined the image carefully of two birds.

"That seems simple enough!" Ichi stated as he leaned forward to get a better look at the image.

"Bet our team can catch our bird before you guys!" Naruto exclaimed, Ichi immediately narrowing his eyes as he stood to his feet, accepting the challenge.

"Oh yeah? Fine! I bet you lunch at Ichiraku then!" Ichi said as he squeezed his hands into tight fists.

"You're on!" Naruto had accept the bet.

"Lets go, guys! We've got to beat them and prove we're the best!" the blond called out as Ichi shook his head vigorously.

"You guys don't stand a chance!" the twin yelled out, Himitsu smiling and rubbing the back of her head.

"No time to waste, Ichi! Lets go!" Hana snapped as she and Koji began running in the opposite way of Team 7.

"Alright, Naruto! Lets beat those goons!" Sakura said with a wide smile, grabbing Naruto's wrist and pulling him along, Sasuke already ahead of the pair. Kakashi watched happily, relieved that he would finally be able to get a bit of silence.

"…So, you think your birds can keep up?" the shinobi asked as he grabbed out his book, Himitsu shrugging with confidence as they began to walk.

"They are _my _birds. I'm confident they won't even get caught in the first place," she said smugly, Kakashi chuckling.

"I'll watch over my team."

"And I'll do the same." Himitsu stated as her friend nodded. The two turned in their separate ways, not looking back.


	6. Chapter 6

Just a quick thanks for reading! And I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: The Naruto series is owned by Kishimoto and has nothing to do with me! I'm merely a huge fan and have a wide imagination.

**Chapter Six: Caught You! And the Winner is?**

Hana sighed defeatedly to herself, she and her teammates taking five minutes to catch their breath. "This is completely hopeless. I should have known better than to start out so fast," she muttered to herself as she leaned back against a tree trunk, her body nearly trembling from all the chakra she had used in order to keep up with the bird they had been chasing all afternoon.

"Ah, don't worry! It's only been a half-an-hour, Hana! I mean, if we haven't found our bird I'm positive Naruto's team hasn't either," Ichi stated reassuringly as the older twin glanced at her brother.

"Well, we can't be too sure. We can't underestimate that clown and his team," Koji stated; he was a competitive sort of boy who hated losing. Glancing up at the clouds, the young boy let his eyes dart around in hopes to catch a glimpse of the bird they were tailing.

"What do you mean?" Hana asked as she pushed herself from the tree and brushed her shoulders off.

"I mean, if the others can't find their bird then they'll make sure we can't either," the leader of the three said as he looked at his friends. Ichi and Hana exchanged knowing glances, the thought finally settling into their heads.

"Alright then! Lets find that bird then!" Hana called out as a sudden wave of adrenaline coursed through her veins.

"Right!"

Himitsu watched silently from a tree top, relieved that the three hadn't noticed her presence. _Show me that beautiful teamwork you guys have,_ she thought with a smile. A whistle in the air caught the woman's attention as she watched one of her birds soar through the air and dart towards her genin. She chuckled as Ichi began yelling, running after the bird while Hana and Koji quickly followed after.

"ICHI, DON'T JUST STAND THERE! GRAB IT!"

"I'VE GOT IT!" No, he didn't.

Sighing, Himitsu watched with a bored expression.

This was far from over.

* * *

"Naruto! Lets go!" Sakura snapped as she and Sasuke ran ahead, leaving Naruto in their dust.

"Aw, Sakura! We've been looking forever! Can't we take a break?" the blond whined as he sluggishly followed after the pair, his energy level depleting to zero quickly.

"Come on, loser. You can't be tired already," Sasuke called out as he and Sakura stopped in order to let their teammate catch up. He watched with his onyx eyes as Naruto grit his teeth. _Sasuke! You won't show me up this time! _Nodding his head, Naruto approached the Uchiha's side. Sasuke smirked, satisfied with his work; sometimes he needed to be cruel to be kind.

Suddenly, above their heads a bird hovered over them, singing and chirping—almost as if it was teasing them.

"There it is!" Naruto exclaimed as he pointed at the creature, his two teammates running after it.

"Don't just stand there, Naruto!" Sakura retorted as the blond quickly ran to catch up to the pair. _Sasuke! I'm gonna catch that bird before you! Just you wait!_

A hidden figure watched as the three genin from Team 7 began to chase after the bird; he was unimpressed by his group. Kakashi sighed as he turned his full attention back to his book, flipping the page and reading the words to himself before he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Blinking, the jounin looked to his shoulder and smiled as a familiar bird stood perched on his shoulder.

"These kids aren't so bright, are they?" the speaking sparrow asked as the silver haired man sighed.

"Unfortunately, no. They really aren't." Kakashi shut his book as he placed it in his lap, his feet hanging from the tree branch he was sitting on. He stole a glance over at his students, the three trying their best to figure out where the bird had gone off to. He smiled sheepishly as he watched Naruto yell at Sasuke, Sasuke snap back at Naruto—who was then being lectured by Sakura, who ultimately agreed with whatever Sasuke was saying; the blond had the odds against him. "It's all abit of the routine," he said with a sigh.

"I see," the bird replied as her beady eyes watched the three carefully.

"But…" Having caught the animal's attention, Kakashi continued. "After they get past the fighting, they make a strong team." A team he could be proud of.

"SASUKE! YOU BASTARD!" Of course, there were always going to be kinks to work out.

"The question is, are they going to be able to work as a team before it's too late?" Kakashi tried not to scoff as the bird spread its wings rising into the air and flying towards her prey in order to tease the three more. He shook his head, the bird's arrogance making him chuckle; she was rather similar to her master.

"There it is!" the jonin's eye flickered over to the blond of his team, the young boy pointing at the bird as he dipped down towards their heads. He sighed as the three continued on with the challenge.

It was going to be a _long _day.

* * *

There she was, Himitsu, sitting quietly with an extremely bored expression as she watched her team fail time-and-time again to catch her bird. The clock had ticked by slowly as she sat, and she was sure that her entire body would go numb if she didn't do something other than sit. So, finally finding her resolve, Himitsu stood to her feet, quietly jumping from the tree she had been hiding in and heading off towards something that _didn't _seem so boring and tedious to watch; she was sure that by the time she returned to check on her students, they would still be searching for the bird.

It had only taken her a few minutes to arrive to her destination, and although her new activity consisted of more sitting, she wouldn't be so alone this time around. "Kakashi—" Himitsu stopped as she leaped up to the tree branch he was in and found the man leaning against the tree, fast asleep with his book still tightly grasped in his hand. She blinked before a smile came across her lips. She gently pried the book free from the slumbering man, tucking it away back in his pouch where he always put it. Then, she took a seat beside him and sighed as she gaze out, his team long gone.

"So much for keeping an eye on them, Kashi," the woman stated to herself as she looked at him for a moment before shrugging. She smiled to herself as she glanced up at the sun, the blue sky making her heart flutter. Peaking through the leaves, the woman hummed to herself as the man beside her slept.

"You know, this was a good idea," she stated to the air as she kicked her legs back and forth. "Because—the thing is…" The young woman sighed as she looked back at the snoozing ninja with a smirk. "The people you first dislike tend to turn into some of the most important people you'll meet."

* * *

"Ugh, I'm so tired!" A 17 year old Himitsu groaned as she took a seat on the grass, which had been soaked through from the rain storm earlier. Of course, she and her teammates had been absent during the rain due to a mission they had just completed. Seeing as the pair had a bit of free time, they had decided to relax, sitting by a lake just on the outskirts of the village.

"How can you possibly be tired? You played the snake while we were the decoys." Kakashi—20 years old—rolled his eyes at his accomplice as he took a seat beside her, the woman shooting her a bite-less glare.

"For your information, my job was much harder than you're making it sound." she stated as she stuck her nose into the air with her arms crossed over her chest. "And anyways, how is a woman supposed to get any real work done when the night before she could barely sleep because of you **bastards**?"

"That's just uncalled for," Kakashi stated lightheartedly as his companion chuckled, shaking her head.

"Might I add that you and Ureshii were also really sloppy. That's what happens when you stay up all night gossiping about women." Himitsu held in her snicker as the man beside her rolled his eye, his other covered as it always was by his forehead protector; the idea of Kakashi **gossiping** was humorous in it of itself.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say someone was jealous." They were much closer than they were several years ago, but that didn't mean Kakashi didn't love getting under the kunoichi's skin.

"I am not! I just don't want to have to listen Ureshi talk about the things he would do to Nemuri. It's like reading your books," she stated as she laid back on to the hill and stared up at the blue sky.

"And the point is, instead of trying to critique me, you should really worry about your own performance when we're on a mission," Himitsu stated evenly as she nodded her head, satisfied with the conclusion she had reached. She looked over at her companion as the gray haired ANBU leaned back against his arms in a relaxed manner.

"Don't tell me you're mad now?" Kakashi stated playfully, Himitsu returning his question with her middle finger in the air as she stands to her feet and begins to walk away from him. "Hey!" he called out as he quickly stood to his feet and began running after her. Suddenly, his foot slipped, and at that moment he realized just what was about to happen.

Hand already reached out and holding on to the pink haired ANBU's wrist, Kakashi began to slide, the grass still slick from the rain. Himitsu's green eyes widened as she looked over her shoulder, mouth falling open as she began to fall backwards from the weight and momentum of Kakashi. "Whoa!" she yelled as the man holding on to her hand winced as he hit the ground. He felt his friend fall on to him, knocking a bit of his breath from his chest. Thinking quickly, the shinobi wrapped his arms around the woman as they began to roll down the hill.

And into the water they went.

Kakashi opened his eye, the water around him blurring his vision. His hold on Himitsu tightened as he began swimming to the surface before releasing the woman. The two coughed, both doing their best in order to catch their breaths.

Slowly, Himitsu turned her head to the man who had managed to dunk her in the lake as he gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry?"

"…I'm going to kill you," she growled as the ninja watched hopelessly. Himitsu lunged forward, and soon enough the two were wrestling in the water. At first, the woman had been cut throat. She had managed to dunk Kakashi and keep him under for several, long seconds before he sprang up from the water with a gasp. A twinkle appeared in his one visible eye before he struck back, shoving the kunoichi's head into the water mercilessly before she came back up in a fit.

"You're still the same bastard as when we were kids!" she yelled ferociously as Kakashi laughed.

"And you're still the same little brat." And then it was war.

A game had begun, and somehow the anger had disappeared and instead it was replaced with laughter and happiness. Himitsu grinned as she avoided her friend's hand, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards her before shoving his head under the water. "Hah! 42!" she exclaimed while swimming as quickly as possible away from her opponent. Kakashi smirked as he reached out, his height giving him the advantage as his hand wrapped successfully around the woman's ankle.

"45," he stated smugly.

At the end of their game, Kakashi had won—115 dunks against 109.

Having finally gotten out of the water, the two sat in the sun, their clothes and pads hanging on low tree branches; the man was rather comfortable in his boxers. Himitsu stretched, sitting beside her friend in her spandex shorts and top. The silence between them was a calm one, both relaxing after the energy they had used playing around. As the breeze began to pick up, Kakashi quietly stood to his feet before he grabbed his shirt and pulled it back on.

Turning and ready to speak, Kakashi looked over at his companion and stopped. His eye softened as he smiled underneath his mask; Himitsu was fast asleep.

"Well then." Kakashi took a seat back beside the sleeping kunoichi, her chest rising and falling at a steady rate. He smiled to himself before he looked up to the sun and the sky.

"Funny how life works out," he mumbled as he laid down and locked his hands behind his head. "The people you don't get along with at first turn out to be some of the most important people you'll ever meet."

Finally, the man stood to his feet before he leaned over and swept the sleeping woman into his arms. The walk back to the village was a peaceful one, Kakashi stopping at a door beside a flower shop. "Tell Himitsu to sleep in since we won't have any missions tomorrow," the man stated, Himitsu's mother nodding her head as the woman's father carried her up to her room. The mother of two smiled as she watched her daughter's teammate turn and make his way down the street.

"Thank you," Mrs. Haruno called out, Kakashi merely nodding as he looked back and smiled underneath his now dry mask.

And then the world was changing once more. Kakashi found himself floating, his eyes shut. He replayed the memory in his head over and over again as he began to grow conscious of the real world; when had his reality become a memory?

Eye fluttering open, Kakashi sighed, lifting his head and sitting up straight. He blinked, Himitsu beside him with a wide smile on her face. He stared at her profile for a moment as his own smile appeared across his unseen face; there were rare times where he got to see such a look on her face.

"So their still at it?" Himitsu didn't even flinch as Kakashi spoke, nodding her head with a bored look on her face.

"Did you expect other wise?"

"I'll admit, I was a bit hopeful." The 26 year old watched as his closest friend chuckled before standing to her feet. He followed her actions, the two jumping and landing on the ground gracefully.

"Seeing as we have the time, we might as well grab something to eat," she said as Kakashi nodded his head.

"I believe it's _someone's _turn to pay."

"Between you and the genin, my wallet's going to run dry soon," the pink haired woman stated as she shook her head, leading the way. Kakashi chuckled as he followed beside her, glancing up at the clear sky with a content gleam in his eye.

* * *

"Have a nice day!" a deep voice boomed as Himitsu smiled over her shoulder and waved goodbye to the owner of the ramen stand. Kakashi merely nodded politely with a smile under his mask; the people around the village had grown accustomed to his faceless expressions long ago.

"That was delicious," the woman said as the man beside her nodded his head. The walked beside each other before a curious expression appeared on the younger person's face.

"What is it?"

"I'm just wondering," Himitsu said gently. "I wonder how the teams are doing so far."

* * *

"Damn it!" the male twin yelled as he jumped up at the rather tricky bird but failed to grab it, instead face-planting into the dirt.

"Calm down and shut up. You're wasting your energy like that," Koji pointed out; his patience was always so thin when it came to Ichi. His teammate crossed his arms in a childish manner, pouting.

"I didn't think it would be so hard to catch a bird," Hana said as she knelt down, her exhaustion clearly visible on her face.

"We've been trying to catch that stupid thing for hours now…" Koji frowned. "Something's just not right."

"What do you mean, robot?" Ichi asked, the other boy of Team 6 doing his best to ignore the nick name he had been unwillingly given.

"As in, we've spent nearly half the day trying to catch this bird, but for what?" The reels in Koji's head were beginning to turn. "Himitsu-sensei said this was our first mission of the day…but for some reason this doesn't feel like a mission."

"More like a test." Hana finished as Koji nodded his head. Ichi grimaced as he let his head hang low; he was too tired for more tests.

"You think Team 7 knows?" Hana asked curiously as her friend shrugged.

"Not my problem. Sasuke's not an idiot. I'm sure he'll figure it out. It just depends on when."

"So then, now what?" Hana inquired. Suddenly, Ichi grinned as he straightened up with a sudden burst of energy.

"I've got an idea!"

* * *

"THAT'S IT, YOU DUMB BIRD! I'M GONNA GET YOU!" a furious blond shouted as a bird swept right over his head, nearly pecking his eye out. Sakura watched lazily, her energy nearly completely depleted—though on the inside she was laughing at Naruto's failed antics.

"I'm gonna—"

"Don't," Sasuke suddenly called out, staring at the bird intently.

"Why not? You're not gonna trick me so you can get the bird first, Sasuke!" Naruto barked as his hands balled up into fists. His teammate rolled his dark eyes as he shook his head.

"Look at the bird," he stated as both Sakura and Naruto did as told. "There's something not right about it."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not just an ordinary bird." Sasuke narrowed his eyes, the red creature high in the sky. He was unsure of the details, but something was off about the entire mission. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the bird was beginning to grow suspicious in his mind. "It's too smart for any normal bird."

"What're you talking about, Sasuke?" Naruto asked empty-headedly. Sasuke sighed as he pointed to the bird.

"It's just waiting for us to lose all of our energy—like it's strategizing against us," the raven haired boy explained, Naruto blinking and Sakura's eyes widening; he had a point.

Sasuke was going to get to the bottom of whatever was going on.

"Well, what do we do now then?" Sakura asked quietly, her urge to win against Team 6 keeping her going. Sasuke didn't reply at first as he thought to himself.

"Guess we're going to have to wing it."

* * *

The pink haired ninja jumped from tree to tree as she searched for the bird in question. Her eyes narrowed for a moment before her expression brightened. "Hey!" she called out, catching her pet's attention. The bird swiftly turned and flew in her direction, landing on its rightful place on her shoulder.

And yet, something was strange.

"What is it you need from me, Himitsu-sama?" the domesticated animal asked obediently.

"Team 7 caught their bird, so I decided to come and get you myself," the woman explained, though the bird stared at her quizzically.

"What's wrong?" the jonin inquired curiously as she began walking in the direction that she had come from.

"Oh! Nothing!" the talking animal said. But as the creature relaxed, its eyes widened as a hand wrapped around it, squeezing just tightly enough to keep her from escaping.

"Wh—What are you doing, Himitsu-sama?" the frantic bird cried out, a cloud of smoke suddenly consuming it; there, stood a smirking Hana.

"That's more like it," Koji said as he appeared from the thick of the forest with Ichi beside him.

"Nice job, Hana!" Ichi yelled to his sister as the girl grinned proudly.

"Looks like we win, don't we?" The bird said nothing and merely sighed; that was what she got for underestimating the genin.

"Now! Lets go find Himitsu-sensei and those idiots," Hana said with a smirk as her teammates nodded. Hana kept the bird in her firm grasp, the animal chuckling to itself.

_I see Himitsu has taught them well._

* * *

The two jounin sat quietly beside each other, Kakashi reading his Make-Out Paradise and Himitsu leaning against his shoulder with her eyes closed humming a gentle melody. The man beside her took a moment to steal a glance at her, smiling before turning his gaze back to the page he was on.

"Himitsu-sensei!" Said woman blinked as she sat up, Kakashi looking over to see who exactly had called out the woman's name. Their eyes widened as they watched Team 6 approach them with her bird in hand.

"Th—They caught her?" Himitsu was caught off guard, to say the least.

"What the—how did you catch that bird?" Naruto exclaimed, the two teams regrouping; one had a bird and one was without.

"Well it's just to be expected. We're smarter than you three," Hana stated as Koji smirked. "Isn't that right, sensei?" Himitsu blinked, everyone turning to her.

"What?"

"…So my feeling was right." Sasuke frowned to himself; he should have known.

"So you guys caught on too," Koji asked as Sasuke nodded.

Kakashi smirked at that. "I see you saw through our plan?"

"You bet we did!" Ichi said with a proud smile. "We're smarter than you think."

"Apparently so." Now it was time for the two to explain. "I have to admit, I'm surprised you guys were able to catch on," the silver haired ninja began. "After all, your track record isn't something to be bragged about." The six genin pouted at that.

"Nicely done," Himitsu finally interjected. "Not everyone is fast or smart enough to get past my birds."

"We were right," Koji said as Hana and Ichi nodded. Sakura glanced at the opposite team as she frowned to herself.

How long had Himitsu owned birds for?

"So this really wasn't a mission?" Sakura asked as Kakashi nodded his head.

"Lately, since you guys have been arguing so much, we decided to do a little experiment."

"We decided to give you our own missions that we've made up," Himitsu stated, surprising the six kids. "And yes, Lord Hokage agreed to let us do this ahead of time."

"Whoever accomplishes the mission first is the better team out of the two," Kakashi stated as Team 6 glanced at each other before celebrating.

"AWESOME!" Ichi exclaimed happily as he grinned widely, his sister laughing and Koji nodding with a wide smile. "That means we're beating you!" the male twin pointed out as Naruto glared daggers at the boy.

"Oh yeah? Not for long, believe it! You'll see!" Naruto responded confidently, punching his fist into the air.

"Looks like they're ready for the second mission," Himitsu pointed out as her companion nodded his head.

"This is going to be simple, even for you six." His back-handed comments were rather unappreciated by the genin. "All you have to do is hold on to this scroll until four pm. Got it?" he asked, giving each time a sealed scroll. The jounin watched as Sakura held on to their scroll and Koji examined theirs.

"That seems easy enough!" Sakura stated as she looked over the scroll.

"The catch is you can't look into the scroll at all. Not even a quick glance," Kakashi added.

"Why not?" Ichi inquired innocently.

"We borrowed these scrolls from the Hokage himself. So they have _very _private information," the older jonin explained. He smirked as the flames ignited in the genins' eyes. "As long as you keep your noses out of the scrolls, there shouldn't be any problems."

"Remember! Keep them safe until four! That's in three hours," Himitsu reminded as the kids nodded their heads, watching as their teachers poofed away.

"So then, what's actually in the scrolls?" Himitsu asked as the two watched from a distance as their genin split into separate directions. Kakashi smirked to himself as he shrugged nonchalantly.

"You'll see."


End file.
